Tampa travelers leave early to avoid delays as winter weather moves in

TAMPA, Fla. - A winter storm is set to hit much of the United States this weekend, causing travel delays.

Local perspective:

These delays will impact Florida as flights crisscross the country unable to get to Tampa.

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Tampa International Airport is already seeing delays and cancellations on Saturday before the storm.

Joe Monzo is from Philadelphia. He cut his trip short to see the Phillies, ensuring he did not get delayed at the airport.

What they're saying:

"We could see that it was going to be a whiteout," Monzo said. "So, we decided to get out today because it's clear in Philadelphia. We lost a day down here, but it's worth it because you could get stuck for a couple days."

Kristyn Meeks is a local and is flying to New Jersey for a work trip. Her original plan was to get on a flight on Sunday, but now she is flying out Saturday afternoon to make sure she makes it.

"I feel like it was a good decision to switch my flight because I'm going to be there and be safe and not traveling in this giant storm," Meeks said.

Monzo said he wished he could stay, but he had to be home to take care of their homes in the cold.

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"I got to get home in time to do the shoveling of the snow, you know, and someone's got to do it," Monzo said. "Now, actually, it would have been better to stay for a couple days."

One St. Petersburg woman was stuck waiting in the airport for her sister after a 40-minute delay.

Escaping the storm:

She said it is worth it to get her sister to safety here in Florida and away from the harsh storm back home in Texas.

"She opted for leaving Houston and coming to our weather, you know, so they're going to probably lose power," Nancy Banzy, of St. Pete, said. "So being here, even if I have to turn on air conditioning, is better than freezing pipes and no electricity."

Banzy said it was risky to try and beat the storm, but she wanted her sister out of harm’s way.

I feel very strongly that she got on the plane and out of Houston before their storm hit," Banzy said. "It's supposed to hit tonight, and she's leaving what's supposed be an ice storm and coming to our cooler weather. We're going to have 60 degrees next week, but it's better than 25 degrees in Houston."

Some said they could be convinced to stay in sunny Florida permanently knowing what they are about to face up north.

"There's a lot reasons why we had to get back instead of be down here for another couple days, although we would have loved to stay in the sunshine," Monzo said.

Cancellations are expected to get worse as the storm develops.